


city of stars (memory of a ghost)

by Luna_Corvidae



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Bittersweet, F/F, Mutual Pining, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25075105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_Corvidae/pseuds/Luna_Corvidae
Summary: Maybe in another life, they could've been.Three snapshots of their relationship, through Mara's eyes
Relationships: Light Hope/Mara (She-Ra)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 34





	city of stars (memory of a ghost)

**Author's Note:**

> Me posting two star-themed fanfics in a row? It's more likely than you think.  
> Based off the hauntingly beautiful song City of Stars from La La Land.

_city of stars  
are you shining just for me?_

The cool nighttime breeze whispers across Mara’s skin as she gazes up at the stars. In front of her, the grass ripples out like an ocean. Each star above her illuminates a planet, and she’s been to nearly all of them. So many, and yet it’s Etheria that feels like home as she breathes in the crisp night air, starlight on her tongue. Next to her, Light Hope flickers, artificial light shining into the dark. 

“The stars are beautiful tonight.” Mara says quietly, trying not to disturb the sacred-feeling silence of this place.

“Yes.” Light Hope tilts her head up, looking at the sky. “The stars are aesthetically pleasing to me as well.” She turns to Mara, expression unreadable as always. She sounds almost hesitant when she speaks. “You… are aesthetically pleasing to me.” By now, Mara’s used to Light Hope’s strange compliments, and she smiles, warmth filling her chest. Cautiously, she reaches out to lay her hand on top of Light Hope’s, careful to only barely brush the top of her holographic skin. Her palm tingles with electricity where they touch, and their gazes meet. Mara realizes she would give all the stars in the sky for the gentle look in Light Hope’s eyes right now. 

_city of stars  
there’s so much that we can’t see_

The first stars peek through the pale blue of the evening above them as the setting sun lights the sky on fire. They’re standing next to each other on the balcony, the air between them crackling with unsaid words. Mara feels desperate and slightly out of control, her life spiraling around her, her secrets piling up as the rebellion rises. Light Hope looks similarly lost in thought, contemplating the sunset.

Like two magnets hopelessly drawn to each other, their eyes meet. There’s a sharp sort of beauty in the angles of Light Hope’s face, and her gaze softens as she looks at Mara. After so long, they don’t really need words, reading each other’s expressions instead. Something reckless and bittersweet whispers in Mara’s mind: _make every moment count._ Her heart aches, and the last of her self-control snaps. 

Leaning forward, she brushes her lips ever so gently against Light Hope’s. There’s no physical form to meet her; instead her lips shiver with sparks. She slowly, reluctantly draws away, breathless, heart racing. For a long moment, neither of them say anything, but she can almost hear the words unspoken in the air: _please, let us have this one impossible, stolen moment, to pretend that we could, to pretend that the world’s not falling apart around us._

_city of stars  
you never shined so brightly_

Mara’s eyes burn with unshed tears, blurring the stars in front of her. It feels almost inevitable that it’s come to this. Her life has always been a pawn to be sacrificed, one way or another. It’s not like she’s leaving much behind, anyways: a handful of fellow rebels (most of them dead), a sweet old lady, and a hologram. _Light Hope._ She chokes back a sob at the thought of her friend, her enemy, her almost-lover. Almost involuntarily, she lightly brushes her lips with her fingertips, the memory of a ghost of a kiss. 

_Goodbye_ , she thinks. Maybe in another life they could’ve been. 

And the stars, as always, watch her to the end.


End file.
